


But Soft

by nealinor



Series: SPN Fluff Bingo 2019 [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel/Omega Dean Winchester, Alpha Claire Novak, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Cas is Claire's Father, Dean is Jack's Father, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Omega Jack Kline, Single Parent Castiel (Supernatural), Single Parent Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 11:16:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18467839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nealinor/pseuds/nealinor
Summary: Dean and Cas meet when their kids get cast in the school production of Romeo and Juliet.





	But Soft

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for SPN Fluff Bingo 2019. This is my new challenge since SPN ABO Bingo dried up for a while. This fic may not be what was meant by the prompt "Romeo and Juliet AU" but it's what came out and I'm sticking with it. 
> 
> Also, a huge shout out to Andromytta who helped unstick me when I got stuck and who beta'd this thing for me. 
> 
> I love fluff and I hope you enjoy. I also hope the dreaded writer's block doesn't stop me from turning out more fics.

“Dad! Dad! I got the part!” Jack announced loudly as he burst through the door to the little house that the two of them shared.

Dean glanced up from the stove where he was cooking dinner. “That’s great, Jack! What part was it you were trying for again?” Hell if he could remember it. Jack was an active kid and he talked a lot about school. To his credit, Dean remembered the conversation he had about trying out for the school play and being one of the many omegas there to do so. What he didn’t remember was what part Jack had been trying out for or what the school play was going to be this year.

Jack huffed as he dropped his books on the island and slid onto one of the barstools there. “It’s Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. I know I’m not a girl but the director said he wanted an omega for the role and he said I was the best that tried out!” The boy squirmed in his seat a little. “They cast my friend Claire as Romeo, which is weird. She’s always been a nice alpha but she’s not my alpha, you know. She’s got her own omega, Kevin. Is that weird?”

Dean chuckled as he flipped the burgers on the stove. “No, Jack, it’s not too weird to play a romantic role like that with someone you don’t have feelings for. It’s make believe, right?”

Jack nodded, his eyes shining brightly with excitement. “Good. I’m just glad I made it. I never expected to be the lead.” He dug through his books and pulled out a piece of paper which he thrust at Dean. “The director sent this home. It’s about building the set. You’ll help, right Dad?”

Dean picked up the piece of paper and read it over. It was a note about the play and indeed, there was a date and time for parents of the kids in the play to come build the set at the high school. “Yeah, I’ll help.” He turned back around and flipped the burgers again before laying cheese over the top of them. He watched it melt, glancing over at his son. He worried about Jack being in the limelight with such a stereotypical omega role. People might not like it because of how rare male omegas were. Dean knew all about that since he was one himself and he’d done a lot to shelter Jack from all of that nonsense. However, when he glanced at his son, he could only see how excited he was about the role so he decided not to say anything about it. “How about you cut some tomatoes for these burgers?”

“Sure, Dad!”

They went about preparing their meal together like they always did, with Jack chattering on and on about the play.

***

“Here, this is for you.” Claire shoved a loose piece of paper into Castiel’s hands while he was in the process of tossing a salad for their dinner.

Castiel fumbled the paper a little before he caught it and read the writing upon the page. He looked up at his daughter in surprise. “You’re in the school play?”

Claire glanced up from where she was pouring herself a glass of juice from a pitcher in the refrigerator. “Yeah, the casting list came out today. It’s no big deal.”

“Okay.” Castiel said, reading the rest of the way down the page to see that he was expected to help build the set. “What role did you get?”

Claire rolled her eyes as she carried her glass of juice to the table and settled into the chair that was her usual place. “Romeo. But like I said, it’s no big deal.”

“Right.” Castiel said, tamping down on his own pride and excitement that his daughter had won such a large role in the school production of Romeo and Juliet. “Well, I’m glad you were cast and I hope you have fun doing the play. It looks like I’ll be building the set in a few weeks’ time.”

Claire rolled her eyes again before she turned to serve herself some salad. “You are a big bad alpha, a little heavy lifting won’t hurt you.”

Castiel blinked at his daughter before looking down at his hands. They were rough and calloused from the many hours he worked at the plant nursery; he could tolerate a little work.  His expression took on a little confusion as Claire sat back down. “What do you mean?”

Claire burst out laughing. “I was kidding, Dad. You can handle some hard work. You do it every day. That’s all I meant.”

“Oh.” To cover his embarrassment, Castiel picked up the serving forks in the salad and served himself some food. “Well, I’ll be happy to help if it won’t embarrass you in front of your friends.”

Claire reached out to pat his hand affectionately. “I’ll survive my friends seeing my Dad. After all, their parents will be there too.”

They settled into dinner together then and the topic turned to other things, like Claire’s math test and how Kevin was coming over later that night to help her study. The play was quickly forgotten.

***

Weeks went by with Jack coming home late every day for play practice, but at least Claire was giving him a ride home in her car. Dean learned a lot about Claire Novak; that she was an alpha and had a boyfriend named Kevin who was another male omega. He learned that Claire was a senior this year and was planning to go to the community college in town to stay close to Kevin, who was still a junior. He learned that Claire’s dad was a single parent too and that her mom had died of cancer when she was ten.  He also learned that she’d seemed to have taken Jack, who was a freshman, under her wing and was subtly protecting him from those who would pick on him for his omega status. All in all, Dean liked what he heard about the girl and was glad she was Jack’s friend.

On the other hand, Claire told Castiel next to nothing about the school play and the people she was in it with. She did mention an omega named Jack and how he was ‘kinda cool’ and that she was dropping him off at his home before she took Kevin home, which was why they had to eat dinner later than they were used to. Other than that, though, Claire was her typical tight lipped self about her life and the play. Of course, Castiel was used to this and took it with the grace that surely had to be possessed by parents of teenagers everywhere.

***

The time came for the parents who’d volunteered to meet at the high school to start building the set. Finally, Cas would find out what his daughter had been doing for weeks on end. Of course, he drove there alone after work, because Claire stated she absolutely was not coming home to get him just to have to drive back to school. When Cas walked into the auditorium, it was empty, save for two lone omegas, an adult and a teenager. They were pouring over what were likely blueprints for the set and didn’t pay any attention to him. He could smell their combined aromas, filling the air with the sweet scent of fruit with a splash of brandy to the mix. He couldn’t tell who was who but by the way they blended together, it was clear to him that the two were related to each other. He approached them from the back of the auditorium, making sure his footfalls were loud so he wouldn’t scare them. After a few steps, the adult turned around to take him in. Castiel almost stopped walking because this man was absolutely gorgeous. Bright eyes took him in over a face with a plush lips and a tempting amount of stubble and Castiel felt him lick his own lips nervously as he forced his eyes away. (Claire told him all the time that he stared like a creeper.)

“Hey!” Called the adult omega as he saw him.

“Hello.” Castiel called back as he walked over to the two omegas with the plans. “Is this where set building is happening?”

The omega adult chuckled. “Yep. We’ll be here all weekend. I’m Dean Winchester.” He offered a hand to Castiel.

“Castiel Novak.” Castiel took the hand and gave it a firm shake. Now that he was close he could tell that the adult omega smelled of apples and spice and brandy while the younger omega seemed to scent of blueberries and whipped cream. The scent of the adult threaded its way into his senses and made him want to bury his face in his neck and just scent him. The temptation was so strong that he let go of the other man and took a tiny step back, his back ramrod straight as he reined himself in.

“Oh! You are Claire’s Dad!” The younger omega piped up with a bright expression on his face. “I’m Jack Winchester. Claire gives me a ride home from practice.”

“Oh yes, she’s mentioned you.” Castiel replied politely, because it was technically true. Claire had mentioned the young omega, even if she hadn’t told him much about him.

“It’s good we met then.” The older omega, _Dean_ he corrected, spoke up with a smile. “Jack has told me so much about Claire that I feel like I know you both already.”

“Is that so?” Castiel said, tilting his head a little in confusion. Did that mean that there were teenagers out there that spoke to their parents about their lives? It was hard for him to imagine. He covered his confusion quickly. “Then I’m glad we met.”

At that moment, their conversation was interrupted by Claire coming into the theatre, accompanied by Ms. Hanscum, the drama teacher.

“Hi Dad!” Claire called as she reluctantly came to his side. She nodded to Jack and his father. “Hey Jack.”

“Hi, Claire!” Jack piped up with enthusiasm. “Where’s Kevin?”

Claire shrugged her shoulders. “He had to stay after for chess club. He’ll join us when he’s done.”

“Cool.” Jack said with a grin.

“Well, Hi to you both!” Mrs. Hanscum said as she came up to them. She nodded to the plans. “I see you’ve gotten the blueprints already. It’s a simple set to build but it’ll take us all weekend. I hope you all are ready to see it through and aren’t afraid of swinging a hammer.”

“Nah, my Dad is down with the physical labor.” Claire said coolly as she flopped an arm around Castiel’s shoulders. It was rare for her to show such affection and he was ridiculously grateful for it.

“I’m ready to get started.” He affirmed.

Ms. Hanscum punched him in the shoulder. “It’s good to have a nice, strong alpha around.” She glanced at Mr. Winchester and amended her statement. “Good to have some nice strong omegas here too.” She chuckled as she took the plans from Dean and headed towards the stage. “Come on up, boys and girls!” Her enthusiasm was hard to ignore.

Castiel glanced at Dean and received a smile and a shrug from the omega, which he returned somewhat shyly. Dean’s smile shone like the sun and it was breathtaking, so much so that he caught himself staring. Thankfully Claire gave him a push to make him stop.

She leaned over and hissed in his ear. “Cool it Dad! Don’t be a creeper.”

“Right. No creeping.” He agreed and made to follow Ms. Hanscum, where soon he was swept away for the evening in building the set.

***

They started bright and early Saturday morning, which made Dean groan a little, even though he was something of an early riser when left to his own devices. It was more the thought that he would be doing manual labor on his day off that put his back up, however, the moment he saw Jack’s happy face, he let it go. Building the set meant something to his son and Dean had enough short comings to make up for that he wouldn’t do anything to infringe on the boy’s happiness. So there they were, staring at the stage and waiting for Ms. Hanscum to get started. They weren’t the only ones there that early either. Castiel Novak walked up holding a coffee thermos in his hand and steering a very sleepy looking Claire. The alpha was dressed in a t-shirt that read ‘Novak’s Nursery’ and had clearly seen better days; it highlighted a pair of strong arms and clung to a nicely defined chest, not that Dean was looking.  “Good morning, Mr. Winchester!” The alpha called as he came down the aisle.

“Please, call me Dean.” He said, reaching out to shake the alpha’s hand, which was strong and work roughened.

“Then you must call me Cas.” The alpha said, his fingers lingering just a hair too long on Dean’s hand.

Dean felt his heartbeat trip for a moment and watched the alpha closely. Was he being flirted with? “Sure thing, Cas.”

Cas grinned at him, a wide gummy smile that made his blue eyes sparkle. “I see we are the only ones who came this early.”

“Eh, gotta be up early for the garage, so I’m used to it. “ Dean answered, shooting the alpha a wink.

“I’m the same way with the nursery.” Cas admitted, his cheeks heating faintly as he smiled.

“Dude, I’m jealous of your coffee.” Dean had drunk his at the house and hadn’t thought to bring some with him.

Cas looked down at the thermos in his hand then shot Dean another smile. He screwed off the cap, which doubled as a cup, then poured some coffee into it before finally holding it out to Dean. “I don’t mind sharing.”

“Thanks!” Dean reached out to grab the cup just as Claire snorted.

“Could you two be any more obvious?” She snarked, shooting a look between Dean and Cas before she elbowed a sleepy Jack in the ribs. “Look out, Jack. My Dad likes your Dad.”

Castiel’s blush darkened and Dean felt his own cheeks heat as well.

“I think it’s cute.” Jack said, grinning up at the two of them.

“You would.” Claire rolled her eyes. “It’s all sunshine and rainbows in your world.”

“If it makes them happy, there’s no harm.” Jack shot back, his smile dimming just a little bit.

Dean couldn’t help himself, he reached over and tugged Jack into a hug. “Thanks, Kid.”

Jack’s smile returned. “You are welcome, Dad.”

Castiel awkwardly cleared his throat. “Would you like to work on a project with me, Dean?” He asked, his voice low and a little tenuous.

“Love to, Cas.” Dean shot an overly bright grin at Claire, finding himself amused at her obvious eye roll.

“We’d better help these two old geezers out, Jack.” Claire said with a hint of playful derision in her voice. “I wouldn’t want them to hurt themselves while making eyes at each other.”

“Sure thing, Claire.” Jack practically skipped up to the stage to grab the plans Ms. Hanscum had left out. “It looks like we need to build the set for the Capulet’s house.”

Dean glanced over at Castiel and was quickly caught by the alpha’s blue gaze and by the smile that was gracing the man’s lip. It was the sort of expression that had to be returned and he found himself smiling too as he stared into the alpha’s eyes. He had no clue how long they lost doing that until he heard another snort from Claire.

“Jeez, you guys.” She stomped over and grabbed Castiel by the wrist, pulling him away from Dean. “Let’s go! Move it, Dad!”

Castiel let himself be pulled off, chuckling all the while. Dean fell into step next to him. “So… uh…” He trailed off having lost his train of thought.

“Drink your coffee before it gets cold.” Cas reminded him gently.

“Right.” Dean said, bringing the cup to his lips as he walked up to Jack’s side where the boy was reading the plans.

From there, they worked on building the set that Jack had pointed out as the rest of the parents and Ms. Hanscum filtered in to help out. When they finished that project together, they moved on to another one. Dean and Cas moved around each other easily, as if they had been doing it for years instead of having just met. Cas was polite and straight forward, and he never made assumptions that Dean was weak because he was an omega, in fact, he seemed to expect that Dean could hold his own and operated accordingly. Dean was, in fact, having a great day, despite all the hard work that came with building a set and working up a sweat. In fact, the sweat was sort of nice because he felt like he was marinating in Cas’s pheromones and really, there were worse places he could be.

By dinner time, they were laughing and talking to each other as if they’d known the other person forever. That was when Ms. Hanscum suggested they go take a break because they’d been there so long that day. She was kind of eyeing them both with a smile that was unnervingly wide.

“So, Cas, what do you think about pizza?” Dean asked as they walked to the parking lot, Claire and Jack trailing behind them.

“I think that’s a marvelous idea. What do you think, kids?” Cas answered.

“You know what? No.” Claire said with a huff. She held out her hand to Castiel. “Keys.” The alpha handed them over to his daughter. “I’m taking Jack, we are going to get Kevin and we are going to get pizza. You two.” She indicated the two older men. “Are going to go out for burgers, because you both love them and you are going to get this flirting nonsense out of your systems. I’m sick of watching it.” With that, she grabbed Jack by the elbow and steered the young omega away.

Dean watched them go with a half smile on his face. “So, burgers, huh? Ever been to The Roadhouse?”

Cas shook his head, not even blinking an eye at his daughter’s tirade or the kidnapping of Jack. “Can’t say that I have.”

Dean reached out and threaded his fingers through Castiel’s. “Well, you are in for a treat. The burgers are great and the booths are private, perfect for flirting.” He winked at the alpha as he walked to his car, unlocking the door and opening it for the alpha. The scent of green leaves and fresh pine floated up to him as Cas got in the car.

“Then let’s go.” The alpha said, taking a moment to squeeze Dean’s arm before he closed the door.

Dean went around the car, whistling happily to himself and he did just that.


End file.
